When We Found Isabella
by monamumbles
Summary: Well, actually, she found us... ***AU/Bella&Edward***
1. Shadow

So here's the story..._When We Found Isabella_ was a story that I originally posted about two years ago, but I removed it because...well, because I was an idiot. The other day, I was just flipping through the stories on my flash drive and came across _WWFI_. I says to myself, "Self! This fic was pretty good! Post it again, you fool!" That's how I talk to myself. Can't help it.

Anywho...please read and leave me wonderful reviews.

twitter: monamumbles

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.

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**Alice | s h a d o w.**

Well, actually, she found us.

It happened rather unexpectedly that day, which was a marvel within itself because nothing happened unexpectedly around me. I was looking into Jasper's future just as I always did whenever we were apart. It'd become almost second nature over the many years we'd been together. Frankly, it was often much of the same triteness, but all that would soon change.

Jasper was pacing back and forth out in the backyard, wearing tracks into the grass with his bare feet. I could see him in my mind, clearly, as if he had been standing right in front of me. He was wearing a pair of old trousers and nothing else while the sun beat down on his marble skin; scars from another life painted his body in abstract strokes. His blonde, wavy hair was pushed behind his ears in an attempt to keep the loose strands from getting into his eyes when the summer breeze blew. He would pace for a few more moments until, abruptly, his march would end, and he would look into the darkness of the trees.

That was the moment the sun burst in the sky.

"Oh!" It grew unbearably bright, blinding me. All I could see was a brilliant white, and all I could feel was pounding behind my eyes. My knees gave out from the overpowering white shadow. Just inches before I hit the floor, someone's arms were around me.

Edward.

He was holding me with worry lines creasing his forehead. He'd seen the blinding shadow, and although he couldn't feel the agony it was causing me, he looked just as shattered as I felt. Before either of us could speak, Jasper's feet stopped moving, and we both heard a low grumble deep in his belly. Edward and I shared another look before racing outside. Jasper stood with his legs slightly apart; his fists were clenched tightly at his sides.

The stench of wet dog bombarded my senses like city smog. _What were the wolves doing on our land?_

"I can't hear them," Edward said, completely frustrated. I'd already known that I couldn't see the future of any wolf that I'd come in contact with. They were simply a void in time to me, but Edward could always read their minds. It was too quiet for them to be on their land; not even their hearts gave them away. Jasper cocked his head to the side, squinting at the trees.

That's when we all saw her.

She was standing there, unaware of her grace. Her brown hair was tangled and matted, with dirt embedded deep in her locks. She was only wearing a white camisole and blue jeans that were both tattered and caked with mud. Smearing and spattering her clothes were blood that we all knew had not been her own. I tried to look past the white shadow, causing it to grow more intense. It was as if the shadow was fighting back. Weakness threatened to envelop me once again, but this time I was a bit more prepared to feel its overwhelming power. Edward held me by the elbow as I leaned against him for support.

He was hearing nothing. I was seeing nothing. We were both blind.

The girl stepped out from the shade of the trees into the sun for the first time, and her reaction was quite peculiar. She looked down to her bare arms and hands, seeing how the sunlight shimmered off of her skin, just as it did to ours. She touched under her crimson eyes with a troubling expression washed over her sad face. She was undoubtedly vampire, yet the pungent smell of dog still saturated the air.

Carlisle and Esme were there in the next instant. For the third time, I heard a growl, but it hadn't come from Jasper. The girl was now crouching; she was ready for combat and any threat that came her way. At that moment, Carlisle was that very threat. Time seemed to creep by; though, it'd only been a few moments.

A sound from the trees behind the girl caught everyone's attention. Her head snapped around, searching the shadows for any signs of movement. I had nearly forgotten the other members of our family and their timing could not be any worse. Rosalie and Emmett appeared, assuming defensive stances once in sight. I could only assume that they'd sniffed out the offensive odor and had come running back to see what was wrong. Rosalie did not seem to take the girl as a danger because she kept walking towards her with a piercing glare. The girl's teeth were bared now, another growl escaped her.

"Rosalie…" Carlisle's cautious voice trailed off once the girl took a step towards Rosalie. Esme's maternal impulses kicked in, taking over the rational part of her brain. Like a mama bear protecting her young, Esme took several steps towards the girl, much faster than human pace- or even a vampire's walk.

The air suddenly became stale as if the atmosphere around us died. Rage filled the girls red eyes as her palms opened outwards in front of her face. We watched the girl focus and pushed her arms outwards. With an invisible force, Esme was sent flying into the air, yards away. She pummeled into a tree with a thunderous crack. The wood splintered out in different directions as Esme slid to the ground like a ragdoll. Carlisle was at his wife's side, instantaneously.

_What is this, _I mentally asked Edward out of habit, absolutely forgetting there was something that stopped him from hearing me. We didn't know whether to attack or to stay put. We were all in fear of this powerful vampire. All save for Rosalie.

Rosalie charged without warning. The two girls toppled to the ground, uprooting grass and dirt as they skid away into the shade. The young vampire easily swung Rosalie into the air by her arms and down to the ground. A petite, yet strong hand clasped around Rosalie's neck, squeezing tight.

The pressure behind my eyes was growing as the white shadow became more severe. I felt as though I would soon collapse again when Emmett dashed to aid his wife who was slowly losing the energy to fight. Emmett's burly body took off like a bullet out of a gun at first. I braced myself for impact, grabbing two of Jasper's fingers. I knew that Emmett would end up tackling them both in a crash loud enough to shake the earth around us.

The girl looked up for just a moment, the fury deepening in her eyes. Just as Emmett got within feet of the girls, he stopped with his mouth agape as if all of the oxygen was knocked out of him. His mouth fell open to yell or to scream, but nothing could escape. All of his muscles were frozen as if caught in an invisible net.

As Emmett's eyes began to roll back into his head, an emotion I didn't understand at that time washed over the vampire's face. There was no anger; she just seemed very lost and incredibly alone. Her hand immediately released Rosalie, who scurried backwards. Emmett dropped to his hands and knees as if he finally broke free from the web. Images flooded my head. I saw the girl with hair the color of coffee, blowing in the wind. She stood elegantly in a striking violet dress. She smiled at the ground, nervously straightening out a wrinkle in the fabric. When she finally looked at me, she bit down on her bottom lip. Her golden eyes gleamed in the sun-

I swayed to ground when the vision was finally over. It was one of the strongest I'd ever had in my entire existence. Edward's voice brought me back to the present. Emmett was across the lawn with his knee in Bella's back and her arms twisted at an odd angle.

"Stop…" Edward said loud enough for everyone to hear. Emmett was puzzled and visibly angry. "Let her go, Emmett."

"So she can kill one of us?" Emmett shouted as more of a warning than an actual question.

"N-No, it's okay." I could hear myself, but didn't remember opening my mouth to ever speak. "Just let her go."

Emmett looked at Edward and me before growling and finally letting the girl go. She took off running into the shadows of the trees.

"Is everyone alright?" Carlisle walked out of nowhere with Esme at his side. Splinters and mud were on her clothes and in her hair, but other than that she appeared to be fine. Jasper pulled me up to my feet again, asking me if I was okay or if I was sure I was okay. I nodded yes to him over and over. Emmett was tending to Rosalie who seemed more irritated than hurt. Grass stains ruined her jeans and blouse, but I doubt she cared at that point. "Is everyone okay," Carlisle repeated once more. Everyone was still understandably shaken so no one answered. He didn't ask again.

Emmett shoved Edward in his shoulder. "You better have a damn good reason why you made me let that monster loose." Jasper looked back into the woods for any movements or scents.

Edward shoved back.

"That's enough." Carlisle's word was final. He tried to show strength, but we all knew he was just as worried as us. "We'll all go back to the house and get cleaned up."

"What if she comes back?" Rosalie took an unneeded deep breath; she brushed dirt out of her blonde tresses.

Carlisle touched my shoulder. "Can you see anything at all, Alice?"

I couldn't see much past everyone gathering in the living room to discuss the attack. Looking down, I shook my head. His grip on my shoulder strengthened a bit. He muttered something to the effect of _it's alright_, butI knew that he was only trying to make me feel better.

Despite Esme's protesting, Carlisle helped her walk into the house. I hurried to my room, leaving Jasper to catch up. He found me sitting on the bed, looking out of the window. We had a perfect view of the lawn and the forest of trees. The split tree lay hauntingly on its side while the wind swept away fallen leaves. Deracinated earth disturbed the endless green view.

"I couldn't feel anything either, you know," Jasper's voice interrupted my thoughts. He was next to me on the bed, staring with the same intent.

"What?" I asked, yet I could hear him.

"When we were all down there, there was nothing I felt except panic." He ran a hand through his flaxen curls then propped his elbows on his knees. "It was my own panic. It wasn't until Emmett finally wrestled the girl to the ground that all of her emotions came rushing towards me."

This time I comforted him. I hadn't looked into a mirror, but seeing Jasper's face made me realize how drained I might've looked. "What was it like?"

"Sheer chaos. Regret and sadness were the most prominent, though."

That's exactly the look I read on her face as she lay there, defenseless. I recalled my vision of her. I didn't know how this could be true without one of us being dead, but I could only pray it didn't end that way. Newborn vampires were the most frenzied and instinctual creatures roaming the earth. One with that sort of power was bound to cause negative attention to themselves and to our family.

And that smell. There was no way that she'd crossed over the boundary without the wolves knowing about it, and there was no way she would still be living if she'd hurt or killed one of them. All we knew was that she was very dangerous and very hungry. The television downstairs turned on. Carlisle was watching the news. The wives of two fishermen had reported their husbands missing two days ago and search parties were diving deep to find them. It would take another month or so for some drunken college kid to find their decayed bodies out in the woods.

Carlisle called us into the living room.

Jasper took the seat in the recliner before pulling me to sit across in his lap. Emmett had his leg draped over Rosalie's crossed legs in the sectional. He picked a leaf out of her hair that she somehow managed to miss while combing through it. Esme stood by Carlisle's side, appearing very troubled. He was standing, arms akimbo, mulling something over in his head. Edward, who was the last to join us sat beside Emmett and Rosalie, yet wouldn't take his eyes off of me.

_Can you hear me again? _I felt like the first person on stage, testing the microphone out. _Mic check one-two, one-two!_ Edward smirked, rolling his eyes. Good, he could hear. _Did you hear anything? I mean, after she let go of Rose._ He stiffened. He looked away to the coffee table. He'd heard something, then. _And my vision? You saw her as I did._ That wasn't a question. I knew he had seen her appearance and those vibrant yellow eyes. _She's going to be beautiful..._ Edward glared at me.

"I've given Eleazar a call," Carlisle announced. "He said that he'd be over here as soon as he could. He also says that he believes he may know something about this girl, but he would need to actually be around her to be sure."

Emmett took his leg off of Rosalie and leaned forward. "Wouldn't that mean that…_that monster_ would have to be here as well? I mean, she's not some rabbit. We need more than a box, ruler, string, and bait to get her back here."

"She'll be back," I added. I could feel all twelve eyes on me after I said this. "I've seen her with our eyes."

"How could you not see her _coming_ here?" I knew that Emmett hadn't meant to sound as though he was badgering me, but I felt terribly inadequate and completely useless to my family when they needed me most. He was right. What good was I if my ability was disabled? They depended on me to seek out danger before it happened and today, I could have been the reason for their downfall.

Hearing my self-loathing, Edward finally piped up. "We were all defenseless, Emmett. Jasper wasn't able to influence her and I definitely couldn't hear her. Emmett, you couldn't even move."

Emmett shuddered and looked up at Carlisle. "It was like all of my muscles seizing at once, Carlisle."

"I must admit, in all of my years, I haven't seen a vampire with that power outside of the Volturi," Carlisle said, distantly.

"I'm sure she could take on the Volturi single-handedly," Rosalie mumbled, feeling her neck where the girl gripped her as if she wanted to tear Rose's head off. Despite Edward clearly trying his best to comfort me, I wasn't feeling any better about this mysterious vampire girl.

xxxxxxx

Darkness fell without many of us realizing, but we often lost chunks of time, as they often meshed together. We never slept, so we found other activities to occupy our time whether it was reading a magazine, reorganizing the unused spice racks, playing chess, video games, etc. We weren't your average vampires. In fact, we were more boring than some humans. None of us would ever admit it, but today was the most excitement we've had since…well, it was a while ago.

Edward flicked my forehead, breaking me out of my trance. I rubbed the spot, giving him a sour look. Under the table, I wound up my foot and kicked him in the shin. Something ungodly and quite girly came from his throat. We were in the middle of another chess game. I would win so I really wasn't paying too much attention to the board.

"I'd rather play with Rose right about now," he arched an eyebrow. "You're not making this any fun."

"Sorry, I just can't stop thinking about…" I'd lost my train of thought. The smirk on Edward's face faded. My eyes began to pound as the white shadow was taking over once again. Somewhere in the house, Emmett was growling like a rabid dog. The scent was strong and permeating the air around us very thickly- she was so close. A timid knock sounded against the door. Carlisle pulled away from his study to stand in front of the door while giving us all a look as though to tell us to prepare ourselves.

Prepare for what? One of us was dead if she decided.

"Please…" An unfamiliar, small voice echoed through the night air. "I'm sorry. Please open the door. Please…"

She could rip it to shreds if she chose to. Carlisle turned to face the big, wooden door as though he was about to take down a coven full of ravenous vampires all by himself. Esme appeared at his side with a questioning look on her face. She was scared. We all were. His hand moved onto the knob.

"Carlisle," she warned. He simply nodded and opened the door. We were all at our feet. Gone was the dangerous vampire. She was simply a timid girl with red eyes, who was just as unaware of her power as any other newborn. Her arms were around herself as if she were cold, but we knew that would be impossible. I think it was just to comfort her.

"I know my first name is Isabella…" was all she whispered before falling forward into Carlisle's arms.


	2. Stray

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing.

twitter: monamumbles

**Previously**

_A timid knock sounded against the door. Carlisle pulled away from his study to stand in front of the door while giving us all a look as though to tell us to prepare ourselves._

_Prepare for what? One of us was dead if she decided._

_"Please…" An unfamiliar, small voice echoed through the night air. "I'm sorry. Please open the door. Please…"_

_She could rip it to shreds if she chose to. Carlisle turned to face the big, wooden door as though he was about to take down a coven full of ravenous vampires all by himself. Esme appeared at his side with a questioning look on her face. She was scared. We all were. His hand moved onto the knob._

_"Carlisle," she warned. He simply nodded and opened the door. We were all at our feet. Gone was the dangerous vampire. She was simply a timid girl with red eyes, who was just as unaware of her power as any other newborn. Her arms were around herself as if she were cold, but we knew that would be impossible. I think it was just to comfort her._

_"I know my first name is Isabella…" was all she whispered before falling forward into Carlisle's arms._

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Edward | s t r ay .

Isabella.

Carlisle moved swiftly to swing an arm around the back of her knees and under her shoulders to lift her up into his arms. She was looking up at him with huge, burgundy eyes just as innocently as a young child would look up at a father. Jasper and Emmett stood guarding their women like cavemen while I stood between Carlisle and Esme.

It was eerily silent. Not just in the room, but also in my own mind. Of course, there were times when the others went off to go about their business, and I could only hear myself think. I savored the few moments when I could be in my own solitude, not having to hear the private professes of love for another or the foul perversions that some people would never want another to ever hear. But there was never a time when my family was all around me when I couldn't hear what any of them were thinking. I felt suddenly selfish at how I instantly felt as though a massive burden had been lifted from my shoulders. Right now, they would be screaming at me. I also felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Although having the ability to hear someone's every thought was often sickening and repulsive, I had grown used to relying on that ability. For a hundred years, it had become a part of me. It made me who I was and separated me from who I was not. The irrational feeling of inadequacy that Alice seemed to be struggling with earlier was now budding inside of me.

Esme broke the silence and I wanted to thank her for it. "We should take her to one of the guest bedrooms." She was absentmindedly wiping dirt away from the girl's left brow.

"She isn't a guest here, Esme. She tried to kill you!" Rosalie's voice rose in frustration and anger, but mostly irritation that Esme would comfort someone that was clearly planning on taking us all out just hours earlier. The girl groaned and murmured something about being sorry once again.

"Esme is right, Rosalie," Carlisle agreed. "She looks extremely drained of energy. I don't think she is up for another fight."

"Well, isn't that lucky for us?" Rosalie's voice was drenched with a retched tone, but Carlisle held his compassion, as always.

"Rosalie, I don't blame you for being frightened of what she's capable of, but I would rather her be here where we can try to keep the situation under control than have her out there being a terror to the town. The type of attention that would cause…" Carlisle adjusted the girl in his arms so that he wouldn't drop her to the floor. She wouldn't thank him for that. "If you would like to leave while I sort this out, you are more than welcome."

Rosalie folded her arms across her chest, huffing. "I wasn't…_frightened_." Carlisle gave her a small wink and a smile before walking towards the stairs with Esme and Alice in tow. I gave Jasper the standard ten seconds before he would follow her. He gave in at the seven second mark. My options were very limited. It was either I stay down in the living room, watching Emmett comfort Rosalie while she sulked or I could go upstairs and tend to one of Carlisle's new strays. I was already at the top of the stairs when I saw Emmett and Rose become a little _too_ affectionate.

Isabella was lying across the guest bed when I entered the doorframe. Alice stood on the opposite side of the room, leaning against an oak armoire. I'm sure vampires didn't get sick, but if they could, they would look exactly like she did.

"Whatever you're doing…please stop," Alice pleaded holding on side of her head with her hand. "It's giving me a headache."

Jasper furrowed his brows. "A headache? How is that possible-"

"I-I'm not doing anything," Isabella told us. She was sitting up with her hands out in front of her. Carlisle reflexively took a step in front of Esme. "I know you probably think I'm playing tricks-" Rosalie's loud scoff echoed clearly upstairs. "-but I don't have any idea how to make myself stop or how to stop hurting these people."

She rested her elbows on her knees, and put her head in her hands. Esme stepped from behind Carlisle and took a seat next to the girl as if she was just another one of her children. She didn't hesitate to put an arm around the girl's shoulder. Carlisle's composure grew tense, ready for the worst.

"Isabella," Esme began. "I know you're confused and scared, but you need to trust us. None of us will hurt you. Just try your best to relax, okay?"

Isabella nodded. Her eyes were glossed over, but I knew that this was just the venom. If she were human, she'd be crying. Her voice cracked when she spoke, "I know that I'm like you guys-"

"Vampire," Carlisle interjected. "You are vampire now."

"…But I don't want to be. I don't want to kill people."

"That is not the way of our family. If you're willing to adopt our beliefs, we're willing to help."

_How can I trust him? He probably wants to hurt me. They _all_ want to hurt me after what I did…_

As the girl listened to Carlisle's words, I heard her voice in my head. In fact, I heard everyone just then while Alice physically stood a bit straighter in my peripheral.

_Edward, do _not_ move… _Alice's voice was cautious as she mentally shouted. Having just gotten back my ability, I was caught off guard by her warning. I searched her mind for whatever she was seeing, but was immediately cut off with the great block again.

Carlisle was talking, but his voice droned with a hum. My attention was focused on Isabella who sat looking up at him, giving him a peculiar look. She was very suspicious and confused, but she couldn't be blamed for that. She had the burden of an amazing power within her, yet didn't have the ability to control or contain it. Despite my sympathy, I took heed to Alice's words and moved as slowly and as obviously as humanly possible. Again, the voices swarmed in my head like wasps.

Alice was searching quickly for a vision to show me.

Jasper was concerned about the girl's powers and Alice's safety.

Carlisle thought of how difficult this process would be, but was prepared for whatever came his way.

Esme wondered if the girl would stay.

_God, no! My throat is beginning to burn…_

Alice saw me in the air, but before I made contact with anything, her vision was cut short by the white shadow. She stifled a groan. Carlisle looked at Alice's worried face and settled on mine.

"Is there something?" Carlisle asked.

"She's very worried about the thirst, Carlisle. It's coming on stronger," I told them what I had heard. The girl sat up straighter, appearing very guarded.

"What is he doing?" Isabella asked with her eyes locked on mine.

Esme kept her voice soothing and calm. "Edward, like you, has a special ability. Three of the members of our family do. Edward happens to be telepathic-"

Like a light had been switched on, her face filled with fright and rage. "You've been reading my thoughts?"

Before I could speak, I found myself being lifted up into the air and thrown into the wall behind me. The pictures on the wall had not yet fallen before Rosalie was upstairs, holding Isabella down onto the bed. A bloodcurdling scream came from beneath Rosalie who was sent flying off of Isabella and sent backwards into Carlisle. They tumbled to the floor with a loud, hard thud. I could see her coming for me, but I had no strength to move. With one swift movement, her teeth clamped down on my chest. The spot felt like it been set ablaze.

I growled, tearing her away from me. Looking up from my position on the ground, I could see her evading Jasper and Emmett's grasp and bolting out of the room. The front door swung open and her footsteps became fainter.

"Carlisle, I think she's going hurt a boy." The whole room stopped moving at once. I ignored the burn on my skin to search through her fragmented vision.

_There was a Quileute boy standing around in the night air with flashing lights dancing off of his face. Isabella was standing from a distance, watching the boy with a peculiar look._

"I know it's painful for you, but try to push past it," I told her, but the vision stayed the same.

Everyone was staring at Alice and me, waiting to be in on the conversation. We could have lengthy conversations without either of us giving any indication to the other parties around as to what we were talking about. I could see how that would be very frustrating to my family especially at a time like this. It was like having two people whisper secrets about you while you were still in the room.

Carlisle stood between us with an urgency about him. "Will she hurt someone – tell us what you saw."

"She thinks Isabella will attack a Quileute, but the vision is very weak," I informed them all.

"The wolves will tear her apart for that-" Rosalie began to say is if it was a triumph, but Carlisle quickly interjected.

"We will try to prevent this boy's death," he said as Rosalie grit her teeth to hold in some comment about people dying all the time and surprisingly there were more cases of vampire related deaths that people thought were accidental or unexplained homicides. "We need to save him in order to save Isabella from the wolves' wrath. Alice can you see any distinctive features around him?"

Alice stood pensively for a moment. "Lights. Lights are flickering-"

Emmett asked, "Like candles?"

"No, like…-"

"Like fairy lights," I ended up finishing her thought.

"Yes, they're exactly like fairy lights, except much brighter. Almost like a street in Las Vegas."

There weren't many places in Forks, Washington that were lit up like the sign of a sleazy strip club and it hadn't been a significant holiday so there would be no need for fairy lights.

"Flickering, blinking lights…" Jasper muttered to himself before his eyes got wider. "The arcade…_the arcade! _Could it be that?"

"I think you're right, Jazz!" Alice jumped to wrap her slender arms around Jasper's neck, kissing his face in multiple places. It only took a moment for her to turn back to us with a grave expression. "It's nine-thirty! The arcade is going to close at ten which means the lights won't be lit for much longer. We have to go now!"

Before Carlisle could say anything else, Alice was out of the door.

"Alice!" Jasper was right behind her.

"You three, go after them. We'll catch up soon enough," Carlisle spoke to Rosalie, Emmett and me, looking at the clock on the wall. "Stay in the shadows, make sure you're not seen."

I turned and was off through the door, already making it through the trees. Alice was not too far ahead; I could still smell her scent in the air. Rosalie was behind me, thinking of all the vile things she wanted to do to the young vampire. She was running as fast as Emmett with a determined pace. I knew then I had to run faster because there was no telling what Rosalie would actually do if her hands found their way to Isabella first. I pushed myself harder, breaking through the protruding branches ahead of me. I could see Jasper alongside Alice just as she was about to race beside the central road that led into Forks' main streets.

"Alice, what are you thinking?" I practically yelled to her when we were running at the same pace. She didn't look in my direction, nor did she even slow down.

"There's no time to talk, Edward,"she told me. "We have to intercept somehow. We can't let her be destroyed."

Alice pushed harder than I'd ever seen her push.

_Go ahead of us, _Jasper pleaded. _I don't want Alice to get hurt. You're much faster than us. Go on ahead and I'll try my best to keep up._

I growled, letting out my frustration. I was growing more and more exhausted as time went on which was very strange. We never grew tired and I could run for hours at a time without ever realizing how far I had gone. This was like trying to punch my way through an invisible, elastic wall.

Then, a voice in my head that I couldn't decipher as my own or the others said, _We're almost there._ Perhaps it was all of us, but soon after there was complete stillness in my thoughts again. I then smelled Isabella's florid scent being distorted amongst sickening sweet smell of candy, the evergreen trees, and wolf. We were close, and so were they.

Alice nearly collided into Isabella from behind. It was hard coming to such an immediate halt once we had been running fervently for so long. Isabella didn't look hungry or crazed at all as any newborn should be by all the potential victims swarming around her like bees in a nest. She was simply staring at this frightened boy with immense confusion and intrigue written all over her face. She raised a hand as slowly as possible and it looked as though she would touch the boy's face if Alice hadn't yanked her back. The boy visibly shook with, unable to move.

At that same unfortunate moment, two familiar faces stepped out from the crowd with the intent to kill on their minds. A young lady with russet skin resembling the boy too much not to be related to him stood alongside a man bearing the same complexion. He was shirtless, and his chest heaved. Clearly, he'd been running just as fast as we had.

Maybe faster.

"Get behind me, Seth," Leah Clearwater said, pushing the boy behind her.

Emmett caught up before Jasper, Rosalie, Esme, and Carlisle. Emmett snarled, involuntarily at the offending scent whirling through the air.

"Leah, take Seth home," Sam Uley ordered with an extremely baffled look on his dark face. He was staring at Isabella who still hadn't budged.

"If I see you around my brother ever again, I will personally rip you to shreds myself-" Sam immediately put down Leah's pointed finger quite harshly.

"Leah," he said sternly and his word was final. Leah took one last look at Isabella, staring with cold onyx eyes before grabbing Seth by the wrist and leaving. I could almost hear Jasper's fists unclenching as he looked across the inadvertent circle we formed to the newborn girl. He must have been wondering how she held back the urge to attack when he himself wanted to confront Leah's threat. Instead, Isabella remained vulnerable. I would give anything to read her thoughts at that very moment.

Two more men arrived, breathing wild. They all were looking at Isabella as if they'd been staring at a ghost. For lack of a better word, she was a ghost of what she once was. We all were.

Their heart rates accelerated, thumping a loud and violent song in our ears.

"You left me to die." Isabella looked up at the tallest wolf in the pack that looked as though if he were to be in wolf form that he would have his tail between his legs. Was this the reason her clothes were soaked with the mongrel scent? I refused to let myself breathe the air around me as it was clouded in thick, wet dog.

Sam turned sharply to the wolf at his side. Before Sam could bark another order, the wolf spoke. "Sam, I couldn't go through with it-"

"So you leave the whole pack in danger? Seth's blood would've been on your hands." Sam escalated voice was causing a few stares from the passing crowds. He gave them a snarl and they quickly hurried away from our gathering. Carlisle took one daring step forward; the pack looked ready to attack at any moment. They were just looking for a reason.

To my side, Alice slowly tried to pull Isabella away from her crouching position that she had been creeping into. Isabella surprisingly complied, letting Alice pull her to the side. Alice wrapped her arms around Isabella's waist. It was partly for comfort, but mostly to try to keep Isabella chained by her side.

"Sam, Isabella showed up on our land with no knowledge of her past," Carlisle began, clearly leaving out the part where we'd been under attack.

"She was a friend of ours until one of your own changed her into…into that." Sam motioned to her as if she was some monster. Alice grabbed my hand- holding onto Isabella tighter –with a faraway look in her eyes. I was about to ask what her problem was when a vision played through my head. They were fragmented from different times and places which did not make sense. They seemed like dreams rather than the future. One moment, Isabella was letting out tearless sobs in the woods by herself and the next moment, she and I were kissing chastely in our kitchen. (My hand twitched in Alice's.) The last vision was Isabella again. She had the same vibrant, golden eyes we saw her with earlier; however; the look in her eyes were feral. She was staring at the tallest wolf, standing on our property, and suddenly attacked.

Each time Alice played the ending, it was fatal.

I let go of her immediately, yet we hadn't shared a look. We would discuss everything later, but for now I went through everyone's thoughts.

"I can assure you that no one in my coven did this." Carlisle furrowed his brows, picturing everyone in his family with amber eyes.

And for the first time, I saw who Isabella used to be.

_Looking through the tallest wolf boy's mind, I could see them walking in the forest while the sun was setting one afternoon. She was wearing a much neater version of the outfit she wore now. Her brown hair was pulled back into a low ponytail; a few tendrils fell to the side of her face, abundant with a blush._

_Wolf boy held onto her hand, lacing their fingers together. She looked almost shorter than Alice next to him as they stopped near a large evergreen. Holding hands turned into light kisses. His thoughts were scrambled like Alice's vision. Just then, Isabella was writhing in the dirt; screaming came from the pit of her stomach-_

_Sam and the other wolves chased after a male vampire. "She'll become one of them. You have to kill her, Jacob." The boy wolf phased back, leaning over Isabella's contorted body._

_ "Please, Jacob. Please," Isabella begged for him to do anything to take her pain away-_

Isabella's block had returned again. Her teeth were slightly bared at the tall wolf boy.

"There is no way to control her. Two fishermen are missing and I'd bet that she's the reason behind it."

"Control takes time, Sam. You cannot fault her for what she is and the mistakes she has made. There are mistakes of your _own_ that you have made as well."

I was reminded of the time when Sam's fiancée was rushed to the emergency room. I was there that night when Carlisle and I was supposed to go hunting after his shift at the hospital. He was called in for surgery on a young woman who'd suffered from a severe bear attack. It hadn't clicked that night, but now I figured the attack more than likely came from a wolf.

Sam growled, "I didn't _kill_ Emily."

"We'll take her in as one of our own." Esme became the mediator as more and more outsiders gave our strange group quizzical stares. "We'll help her take control of her thirst. There will be no more deaths. I swear of it. "

"And if there is, know that we will be the first ones at your door." Sam was making a promise. Emmett and Jasper were near them, snarling back making another promise of their own. They would be looking for one hell of a fight. "Jake. Paul. There is nothing more to discuss here. The Cullens know we'll be watching them. Let's go."

Paul-wolf broke off into a run across the lot and past the trees. I could soon hear the soft thudding of paws against the earth. The tallest wolf boy was still staring at Isabella with remorse written across his dark face. This was not the girl he once knew, nor would she ever be the same. Though, unable to flip through his mind, I knew he was trying to say goodbye.

"Jacob," Sam said again, pulling the boy wolf out of his reverie. He turned on his heels as if being taken over by a gravitational pull. He and Sam took off in a run just like the other wolf. Alice, who still held Isabella by the waist, turned around first.

"C'mon, Isabella," Alice gripped her tighter, telling all of us she wouldn't let go. "Let's get you cleaned up."


	3. Stranger

Back with another installment of WWFI. I really hate re-writing chapters from someone else's point of view because I feel as though the story doesn't get a chance to progress, but I felt that it was necessary for this part.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing.

**Previously...**

_"We'll take her in as one of our own." Esme became the mediator as more and more outsiders gave our strange group quizzical stares. "We'll help her take control of her thirst. There will be no more deaths. I swear of it. "_

_"And if there is, know that we will be the first ones at your door." Sam was making a promise. Emmett and Jasper were near them, snarling back making another promise of their own. They would be looking for one hell of a fight. "Jake. Paul. There is nothing more to discuss here. The Cullens know we'll be watching them. Let's go."_

_Paul-wolf broke off into a run across the lot and past the trees. I could soon hear the soft thudding of paws against the earth. The tallest wolf boy was still staring at Isabella with remorse written across his dark face. This was not the girl he once knew, nor would she ever be the same. Though, unable to flip through his mind, I knew he was trying to say goodbye._

_"Jacob," Sam said again, pulling the boy wolf out of his reverie. He turned on his heels as if being taken over by a gravitational pull. He and Sam took off in a run just like the other wolf. Alice, who still held Isabella by the waist, turned around first._

_"C'mon, Isabella," Alice gripped her tighter, telling all of us she wouldn't let go. "Let's get you cleaned up."_

* * *

**Isabella | s t r a n g e r .**

I didn't know why I had returned to their house because it wasn't as though I was entirely welcomed there after what I had done. I knew nothing about myself other than my name, and even that I seemed to be unsure of. I remember being in excruciating pain for what seemed like forever, praying for death to take me. When it didn't, I cried until no more tears would come. I was extremely hot all over like a scorching fever was tingling from the roots of my hair to the soles of my feet. I lay in the grass through three sunsets, and on the last morning, the pain was the most intense…

_The sky lit up with lightening so bright it, looked like flashes of daybreak. A violent storm was coming, but the pain wouldn't release me. Even my straining heart hurt with every thump against my aching bones. I was in too much pain to crawl to some sort of shelter; my throat was too dry to scream for help. When the rain finally came, it was so very cold, but it felt truly amazing against my burning skin. Darkness enveloped me. I didn't dream nor did I think about anything in this silence. I just was._

_It was the flapping of a bird's wings that woke me. It was so loud in my ears that I wondered if one had built a nest in my hair, but when I opened my eyes, I saw the blackbird soaring high above me. So high, but I could hear the wind pass through every dark feather on its body. This was the blackest bird I had ever seen. At least, I believed it to be._

_And still…its black body appeared to be tinged with violet as it flew into the sun. I became aware of the vibrant colors around me. The bluest sky, the greenest leaves, the brownest bark, and the sun felt so warm. Even the earth under me was alive with crawling things. I could hear them weaving their way through the dirt and passing one another with their hard shells. The sun touched everything in the forest including my skin-_

_My skin…sparkled in the sunlight! I wanted to capture all the light reflecting off my skin. Crushed glass dusted over marble. How had I stayed in the sun so long, yet my skin was so pale and smooth? Was all of it a dream? Had a blow to the head given me delusions about my suffering?_

_I felt my head for any lumps and bruises, but there were none. In fact, I felt truly fantastic._

_Off in the distance, I heard water streaming._

Ronnie, I'm gonna go get the nets from the truck. You need anything?_ The male's voice carried in the wind along with the most amazing scent. The burn in my throat came back full force, telling me that it needed to be placated. An instinct took over just then. I was a bundle of impulses, rising to my feet with incredible speed._

_I took off running towards the smells, kicking up mud and twigs along the way. Trees blurred past me like wet paint smeared along a canvas. The scents were so strong now; moisture pooled inside of my mouth._

_I saw the stream of water before I saw him. He was holding a bucket while wearing the most ridiculously decorated hat._

"_Lady, you okay?" he asked, giving me the onceover. He examined my body with worry etching his face. His mouth fell open, startled at something in my eyes. His heartbeat quickened like a drum in my ear. I could suddenly hear every thump louder and louder until it became the only sound. Something guttural came from my fiery throat. Before he could even think about running, I was on top of him with my lips slowly pulling away from my teeth. He was screaming from under me for someone to help him._

_I straddled his waist, and with one hand I covered his mouth to muffle his cries. He was squirming weakly, losing the strength to fight. I threw off his hat with my other hand then grabbed him by the hair to expose his throbbing skin. I lowered my head into the crook of his neck. With ease, my teeth broke his skin; the warm liquid was quickly easing the burn in my throat with a pleasure I had never known._

"_R-Ronnie?" My head rose up, seeing the other man. All the color drained from his face when he saw the rabid look in my face and the blood dripping from my mouth. The man turned on his heels before scampering away like a rodent. The anger within me strengthened. I focused all my attention on him until he froze in his spot, screaming bloody murder. He dropped to the ground and I instantly fell with him. I felt so weak that I could barely stand, but I was still hungry. I crawled to the man, who had still not found the strength to get up. He was sputtering and coughing up blood as he tried to crawl the closer I got._

_When I was in arm's reach, I dragged him towards me and flipped him over onto his back. He was trying to say something, but I couldn't understand a word of the gibberish. I lowered my mouth onto his chin and slowly licked the blood away. This man soon shared the same fate as his friend._

_It was like I was under some sort of spell and when it was over I was surrounded by blood and gore. The two men lay like marionette dolls with their limbs bent at odd angles. I sat by the water with my knees pulled up to my body. My chest heaved violently as if I was crying, but no tears came. Slowly, I crawled to the water and the reflection seemed so foreign to me. It had been as if I were staring at the devil: eyes a bright red with blood drying on my face. I was so scared of myself and what I had done. I was a murderer who had just taken two men away from their families. Away from their children and wives and friends._

_But there was no way that I could stop. I was fighting against this monster inside me, who looked through me with red eyes._

_The burn in my throat was gone and I felt repulsively satisfied. There was no way that I could do that again. I wouldn't allow myself to. It was then that I escaped the gruesome scene at my feet. I needed to be as far away from those men as possible and away from others that might get in the way. I found a small cavern in a rock wall where I decided to make camp for the night. I would fight this burn as long as I needed to. The night sky hung over my head, but instead of growing tired, I pulsed with life._

They were being much nicer than I expected after all that I'd done to them. After all that I was. I closed my eyes as the fair-haired man took me through their large house, up the stairs, and to a room. From the way he spoke, he seemed to be the father of this family, but he only seemed a few years older than everyone else. They all shared the same honey eyes. They were like me. I'd seen that the moment I saw what their skin did in the sunlight.

My whole body felt so very weak, like I had just been struggling to break through restraints. The petite girl was standing weakly on the other side of the room, to my left. She was asking me to stop hurting her, but I hadn't been doing anything. Twice, she and the boy with the brown hair passed glances at each other. He caught me staring as the older man spoke about my thirst.

Just the thought of it made my throat ache. I remembered how wonderful it felt to have that ache pacified. I stayed inside of the cavern for days without ever tiring. The more I kept myself there, the hungrier I became so I ran to the only thing that I knew. But now the thirst felt worse than when I woke up on the floor of the forest. My body remembered how very wonderful it felt to have blood soothe the raw feel of my throat.

"She's very worried about the thirst, Carlisle. It's coming on stronger," the brown-haired boy said.

How could he have possibly known that? My fingers clenched; I could hear the sheets on the bed tearing apart as I slowly gripped them between my fingers. "What is he doing?"

"Edward- like you -has a special ability," the woman told me. "Three of the members of our family do. Edward happens to be telepathic-"

"You've been reading my thoughts?" I found myself rising from the bed when the realization hit. My every thought was naked and exposed as my privacy had been breached. Had this been the game they were playing at all along? I focused on him, raising my hand. His body slammed against the wall. In the next moment, I was slammed to the floor, away from the boy. I needed to get to him, but the grip on my arms was unyielding. I let out a scream so loud that it racked my own body with fear. It took every bit of energy I had left to rise up from the floor, breaking free from the grasp. I found the boy again who was still on his back.

Without thinking twice, I bit down hard on his chest. My teeth broke through his shirt and his skin with an audible tearing sound. A wild snarl escaped his mouth and he pushed me back on my butt. I didn't have to look up when I heard them coming towards me. I could feel their impending touch, but before contact, I lifted myself off the ground and ran again. I needed to soothe this ache or I would go insane.

_What the hell did I know about sanity at this point, though?_

My nose picked up a wonderful trail of aromas the farther away I ran from their home. My body pushed harder to run faster, anticipating the great satisfaction I was sure to feel. It wasn't long before I heard them. There were wonderful heartbeats, fluttering like wings on a bird, and if I could just get one between my palms, I could stop this maddening burn. Bark and wood crumbled at my fingertips as I squeezed the tree that I had been leaning on.

In the sea of voices, one boy's stood out to me the most. _"Leah, it's gonna close soon. Can you come get me?"_

The voice came from a boy, standing near the side of a log cabin, directly in my path. I could feel myself moving slowly closer to him, and I couldn't break free from this inexplicable pull. This voice was important to me, but I didn't know why. All I knew was that I had heard it before, yet I couldn't remember when. It was like trying to remember a dream that slipped farther out of my mind the more I tried to grasp onto it. When he caught sight of me, he stood frozen in place. I just needed to touch him- see if he was real or if he would disappear like everything else.

Just as my fingertips were about to graze his skin, I felt myself being pulled backwards and I allowed it. The boy was looking at me with great fear in his eyes. He was looking into mine, and I wanted to tell him that they scared me as well. I could see his hands trembling, as he kept looking at my fixed gaze. At my side was the petite girl again. Her family stood behind me, staring ahead. The young boy, Seth, had his _own_ family joining him now. They were all incredibly tall with dark hair. Their skin reminded me of shined copper in the light- such beautiful creatures, I was surrounded by.

"Get behind me, Seth," the only woman from their group said, pulling Seth by his collar. The boy hovered behind her now, slightly peeking between her body and her arm.

"Leah, take Seth home," the leader of the group said firmly and when I looked up, he was staring at me fixedly. They all had been. Something told me that I needed to remember them, but they were nothing to me now. The girl pointed at me, spitting harsh words that I had not been paying much attention to at that moment. I was surveying this small crowd, and when I saw him, the memory almost knocked me off my feet. He was the tallest of them, yet his sad expression made him look even younger than the little kids playing games in the shops.

_I had been lying on the ground with the fever igniting my whole body. He was looking down at me with tears falling down his face. They fell to my skin like tiny drops of liquid fire and I screamed for him to help me. His hands reached to touch my face, but it only made the fire burn brighter. Again, I screamed for him to help me in some way. There had to be a way to take the pain away. I shut my eyes tight as his touch retreated, but when I opened them, he was gone._

"You left me to die," I said with my eyes trained on him. The frown lines in his face only increased more. How could he just leave me like that when he knew that I was in so much agony? He was the reason I was like this. He was the reason why I now craved blood more than my own life. Not truly a life, though. He was the reason for this half life.

I wanted nothing more than to feel my hands wrap around his neck and hear the snapping sounds of his bones as I twisted his head around. _He _should have taken the places of those fishermen. Their deaths were on his hands as much as they were on my own. I needed him to suffer the way I had been. The two sides kept arguing about a girl, but the burn in my throat was keeping me distracted. Hunger had not been on my mind, though. Fury fueled this fire now and was controlling my every movement. My knees slightly bent, ready to spring, and I clenched my hands tightly.

"We'll take her in as one of our own. We'll help her take control of her thirst. There will be no more deaths. I swear of it." _Foolish woman, _I thought. She had stepped from behind me with her kind, beautiful face to tell them these lies. There couldn't be any way to control this bloodlust that drove me. She was so very sure of her promise, though, that I almost believed her. I wanted to believe that it could be true.

By the time I realized arms were around me, the group had cleared off and I was looking up into big brown orbs. They were full of sorrow- no, not sorrow. It was remorse for what he had done to me. Someone beckoned for him to follow and again he was gone. The petite girl, who had not taken her hands from around my waist, gave me a light squeeze.

"C'mon, Isabella, let's get you cleaned up." She lightly took my hand, and we ran back in the direction of their home. I couldn't tell if she was holding me to lead or if she was afraid that I would run off to cause more trouble. I could not blame her. As the feeling of hunger within me started to gain some control, I clutched onto her.

I didn't let her go until we passed the empty living of their house and made it up the stairs to the bathroom. My muddy feet left a trail on the white tiled floors and I stopped to wonder how far the trail led back to. She flitted from one corner of the room to another, getting a fluffy robe and a small box from under the sink. In the center of the room, was a white tub with an overhead shower.

"Would you like me to leave?" Alice moved closer to the door, but I shook my head vehemently.

"Don't go," I pleaded, reaching out to touch her arm. "I don't trust myself alone." This was true. The hunger was getting stronger now that I hadn't let myself drink and I didn't know what would happen if I was alone with my own thoughts.

She simply nodded and sat on the edge of the tub, facing away from me. "I'm Alice, by the way," she said as I quickly took off my dirty, old clothes.

I dipped into the water; it was almost unbearably warm, but I welcomed the feeling. I pulled my knees up to my chest and sat for a moment with my arms tightly wrapped around my legs. I didn't know how long I had stayed there, staring off into space, but she broke my trance. She'd given me the small, paper box over my shoulder.

"Here," she said.

Ripping it open, the smell surrounded me in the best way.

I clutched the bar of soap in my hand and closed my eyes, bringing it to my nose. Again, the feeling of dark familiarity hit me in a wave. "I've smelled this before."

"Lavender," Alice said with a hint of a smile in her voice. "Does it make you remember anything?"

I dropped the bar into the water, frustrated. I rested my chin on my folded arms above my knees. "Yes, but I don't know what. It's more of a feeling, really."

I felt Alice's hands in my head just then. She was slowly massaging my scalp and hair, loosening the tangles. Murky suds slipped down my shoulders and into the clear water. The more I tried to hold onto even an inkling of a memory, the more it slipped away.

"Am I doing it now?" I asked her, slightly turning towards her. "Am I hurting you?"

A look of realization cloaked her face. "Yes, you are, and it's very frustrating for me." Her face scrunched up, looking towards the ceiling, and she reminded me of a child. "I'm not used to not being able to see."

"See?"

"Do you remember when we told you that Edward could read minds?"

_And then I bit him._ Quickly averting my eyes, I turned back around to hide my shame. I managed to squeak out a mumbled, 'yes'.

Alice didn't seem angry when she recalled the situation. In fact, she let out a small laugh and then resumed massaging my head. "Some of us have gifts like you. Edward has the ability to hear and see what others are thinking. Jasper…" Her voice drifted into blissful nothingness. "He can feel and influence the emotions of others, good emotions and bad."

"And _your_ ability?"

"Depending on a number of things, I am able to see the future."

I turned around with my eyes wide, splashing water onto the bathroom floor. "Oh, Alice! Then you can tell me when I'll figure this all out-"

She shook her head, dejectedly. "We can barely use our abilities when you're around us. I see fragments of time, but they make no sense at all to me – very jumbled. It makes my head hurt and let me tell you, I could very well be the first vampire with a migraine." Alice smiled lightly again.

"Well, then maybe _my_ ability is to hurt people because that's all I seem to be doing. Your family and those men…" No matter how much, I try to push the scent of their blood and the last screams on their lips out of my mind, the memory never fades. "I wish _that_ was what I didn't remember."

"But you remembered one of the wolves – Jacob was his name."

I involuntarily let a growl escape me. "He's the reason I'm like this now. I know it. He made me this way."

"Isabella, wolves can't create vampires. It takes another vampire."

Had I possibly heard her correctly? "Wolves?"

She sighed, "There are…_other_ creatures besides our kind. I'm not the right person to tell you because I don't know much about their kind. Carlisle would probably be better at explaining it you. I _do_ know that wolves _can't_ create vampires."

I shrugged, "I remember feeling like I had been pushed into a flame, and I wanted him to make it go away. Then he left." For a while, Alice hadn't said anything, but I knew she was thinking. So was I. I wanted to have more of these memories so that things would start to make sense. It seemed as though I was even more lost, now that I had some knowledge. I stared at my clothes on the floor and saw the brown smudges that hauntingly decorated the white fabric. My throat could not be ignored now that I took in a deep breath.

"Alice," I whispered her name. "I'm hungry."

* * *

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